3D print supplier PRINTinZ has released some very powerful filament based on a PLA/PHA mix.

Wait, what’s PHA? PHA is short for “Polyhydroxyalkanoate”. According to Wikipedia, they are:

Linear polyesters produced in nature by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids. They are produced by the bacteria to store carbon and energy. More than 150 different monomers can be combined within this family to give materials with extremely different propertiesL These plastics are biodegradeable and are used in the production of bioplastics.

Basically, PRINTinZ has combined the more frequently found PLA material with an amount of PHA to produce a new filament that is much stronger than PLA, yet still exhibits PLA’s desirable 3D printing qualities of biodegradability and lack of warping.

In other words, you might consider using PLA/PHA filament instead of ABS, which can be challenging to 3D print.

How strong is the PLA/PHA combo? Just watch this video:

If your 3D printer can print PLA, it can print PLA/PHA. It’s that easy to use. For now, PRINTinZ offers the material in 1.75mm 1kg spools in a ridiculous number of colors (well, 17) at a price of only USD$35 each.

This is not the first appearance of PLA/PHA hybrid filaments, which were first marketed (and still are) by colorFabb. While colorFabb’s product is certainly excellent, it can be expensive. Priced at €36 (USD$39) per 750g, this is almost 50% higher than PRINTinZ’s price by weight. As colorFabb is based in Europe, North American buyers must also pay more for shipping the product.

Tired of ABS and would like to try something easier to print? You might want to check out PRINTinZ’s new PLA/PHA filaments.

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has been writing Fabbaloo posts since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!

Fabbaloo is a daily online publication focusing on the 3D print and additive manufacturing industries. We provide deeper analysis of developments in current and future technologies as well as corporate matters. If there’s something happening in 3D technologies, especially FDM, SLA, SLS and Stereolithography, we’ll have an opinion about it.